Two of the boxing's best, in their primes. Who you got?
It appears two of boxing’s biggest, brightest stars are about to throw down on April 16 (April 15, U.S. time).
Gervonta “Tank” Davis (28-0), a three-division champion, and Ryan Garcia (23-0), a former WBC interim lightweight belt holder, have reportedly signed on the dotted line to make their much-anticipated fight official. The two fighters finally signing their respective contracts comes after months of trash talk and posturing on both sides.
Boxing insider Mike Coppinger, citing multiple sources, broke the news in ESPN. According to Coppinger, the two unbeaten lightweights will fight at a catch weight of 136 pounds, or just a tick above the 135-pound limit at lightweight—arguably the most stacked division in boxing today with the likes of Devin Haney, Vasily Lomachenko, and Teofimo Lopez.
That this super fight will taking place at a catch weight seems rather odd given that Tank still holds the WBA (Regular) lightweight title—with Garcia as a mandatory challenger since he is ranked number 1 by the WBA. As such, Davis putting that belt on the line would only add a layer of intrigue to this already compelling matchup, which will pit one of the boxing’s heaviest hitters in Davis and one of the sport’s fastest hands in Garcia.
Then again, opting for the catch weight makes perfect sense for both as well, as each of Tank and Garcia has fought at 140 pounds (super lightweight division) already. In fact, Garcia is ranked 8th in the division by the WBC and 10th by the IBF and appears quite comfortable in that higher weight classes.
Regardless, this Davis-Garcia super fight, if it does push through finally, would be a huge win for the sport.